Ai-powered dispensing device for hair treatment

ABSTRACT

A system for dispensing hair care, the system including a dispensing device, at least one cartridge containing a hair care material configured to fit inside the dispensing device; and a dispensing container removably attached to the dispensing device wherein the dispensing container is configured to accept a portioned amount of the hair care material from the at least one cartridge.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 63/295,243, filed Dec. 30, 2021, U.S.Provisional Application No. 63/310,342 filed Feb. 15, 2022, and FrenchApplication No. 2202879, filed Mar. 30, 2022, the entire disclosures ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety forall purposes.

SUMMARY

This is a system for enabling hair care and personalized hair careformulas for use at home based on a specialized dispenser that allowsingredients for a hair care product to be instantly blended into auser's preferred end result and then conveniently transported forportability. In one embodiment, the dispensed formulation can bedispensed inside a dispensing container that can then be placed insidedistributor for use in a bathroom or shower.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features ofthe claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid indetermining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one embodiment, a system for dispensing hair care, the systemcomprising a dispensing device, at least one cartridge containing a haircare material configured to fit inside the dispensing device, and adispensing container removably attached to the dispensing device whereinthe dispensing container is configured to accept a portioned amount ofthe hair care material from the at least one cartridge is disclosed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of thisinvention will become more readily appreciated as the same become betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description, whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1A-1D are overall perspective views of example hair caredispensing devices, in accordance with the present technology;

FIG. 2 is an example cartridge, in accordance with the presenttechnology;

FIG. 3 is a top-down view of an example base of a dispenser device, inaccordance with the present technology;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an example dispensing container, inaccordance with the present technology;

FIGS. 5A-5C are top-down views of example dispensing containers, inaccordance with the present technology;

FIGS. 6A-6C are examples of hair care dispensing systems, in accordancewith the present technology;

FIG. 7A is an overall perspective view of an example distributor, inaccordance with the present technology; and

FIG. 7B is an internal view of an example distributor, in accordancewith the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the drawings, like reference numerals designate identical orcorresponding parts throughout the several views. Further, as usedherein, the words “a”, “an” and the like generally carry a meaning of“one or more”, unless stated otherwise.

While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, itwill be appreciated that various changes can be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Selecting hair care formulations is a common activity often relying onsubjective decision making and manual input. There are a wide variety ofavailable hair care materials, and countless combinations andpermutations of possible hair care formulations.

For each occasion where hair care formulations are used, subjectivedecisions are often made by an end user of the hair care to produce haircare formulations suited to their needs. Outcomes are generally a resultof experimentation, perhaps requiring multiple iterations to produce asatisfactory outcome. Partly due to limited awareness of specific traitsof the base hair care materials and necessary proportions, resultinghair care formulations may lack precision. The repeatability ofproducing a specific hair care formulation is thus difficult toaccomplish. The below embodiments address these problems in theconventional art.

Specifically, the description below relates to a system for enabling thepersonalization of hair care for use at home, based upon a specializeddispensing device and dispensing container that allows for ingredientsfor hair care products to be blended into a user's preferred result andthen either applied with the dispensing container itself, orconveniently placed inside a distributor for use in the user's bathroom,shower, or while on the go.

The system disclosed below is an AI-enabled, motorized cartridge systemthat creates personalized hair care formulations. In operation, the usermay take a photo, or upload a photo, of their hair with a smartphonecamera and open an app on the smartphone. In some embodiments, the appuses AI to analyze the user's overall hair condition, damage, color,copper content, lice presence, moisture, texture, and/or dandruffpresence. In some embodiments, the app also assesses environmentalconditions that can influence the state of the user's hair. Exampleconditions include, but are not limited to, UV index, air quality,pollen, weather, temperature, and humidity.

In some embodiments, the user can select specific hair concerns, such asmoisture, curl, texture, UV protection, or color. In some embodiments,the user selection may include a quiz, giving the user a set of promptsto respond to in order to determine what products would work best fortheir specific needs. In some embodiments, the app may providesuggestions based only on the data analyzed in the photo. In someembodiments, the app creates a regimen of hair care products. In someembodiments, this hair care regimen could be a daily recommendation. Inother embodiments, this regimen could be a weekly regimen of recommendedproducts.

With regular use, the AI platform can assess the appearance of a user'shair over time, helping users identify what is working, and calibratingfuture formulas. The AI-powered system can optimize the efficacy ofpersonalized formulas. By taking photos regularly, users enable thesmart system to recognize the formulas effects and adjust the dosage ofactive ingredients accordingly. However, in some embodiments, the usercan override the system recommendations if they are seeking a specificproduct.

The hair care formulations may have the capability of incorporatingreal-time trend information as well as color-matching technology, in thecase of hair dye and root touch ups, into its personalized productofferings as described below. In some embodiments, a user can createtheir own custom hair dyes or hair care formulations based on theirperson features such as skin tone and eye color, and preferences.

In some embodiments, the dispensing system is configured to accept threecartridges containing hair care material, but in other embodiments, thenumber of cartridges can be larger or smaller. In some embodiments, thecartridges slide into the dispensing device. In some embodiments, thecartridges click into the dispensing device. In some embodiments, thecartridges may contain one or more active ingredients beneficial forhair care, such as zinc oxide, tea tree oil, etc. In some embodiments,the cartridges are color coded or shaped in a specific manner to allow auser to better distinguish them from one another. In some embodiments,the cartridges are RFID or QR coded so that the dispensing device candetermine what hair care material is inside the cartridge.

In some embodiments, a personalized blend of high-performance hair careis then dispensed in a portioned dose at the top of the device, into adispensing container. In some embodiments, the dose is a single dose fora single application. In some embodiments, this is enough doses for aweekly number of applications, such as seven doses for the week.

In some embodiments, the dispensing container contains one or morecompartments for one or more hair care products. In some embodiments,the compartments are distinct from one another to allow a user todetermine which product is which. Examples of such distinction include,but are not limited to, the shape of the compartments, color of thecompartments, and size or depth of the compartments.

In some embodiments, the dispensing container can be placed into adistributor with an extruder. Examples of extruders include, but are notlimited to, pumps, aerosolized sprayers, manual sprayers, vacuum pumps,solenoid valves, and openings. In some embodiments, the dispenser hasmultiple extruders, allowing for each compartment in the dispensingcontainer to have a separate extruder, so that the products do not mix.In some embodiments, the distributor has an attachment, such as a magnetor a suction cup, for attaching the distributor to a surface, such as ashower or bathroom mirror.

FIGS. 1A-1D are overall perspective views of example hair caredispensing devices 100, in accordance with the present technology. Thevisible portion of the hair care dispenser 100 includes a base 102. Thebase 102 provides a support for a dispenser body 106. In someembodiments, the base 102 provides power to the device, such as with anelectrical cord (not shown in FIGS. 1A-1D). A dispensing container 108is disposed above the dispenser body 106, and a power button may bedisposed partly within the dispenser body 106 such that the dispenserbody 106 secures placement of the power button (not shown in FIGS.1A-1D). Further, an indicator light and button (not shown in FIGS.1A-1D) may be disposed partly within the dispenser body 106 such thatthe dispenser body 106 secures placement of the indicator light andbutton. The indicator light and button may be a mechanical or capacitivetouch-type button. The dispenser body 106 may provide a base for thedispensing container 108.

In some embodiments, such as in FIG. 1A, the dispensing container 108 isa jar. In some embodiments, the dispensing container 108 has an opening114 for accessing the hair care formulation. In some embodiments, thedispensing container 108 has a cap 112. In some embodiments, the cap 112is a threaded cap. In some embodiments, a user can dispense a hair careformulation into the dispensing container 108 and secure the hair careformulation with the cap 112 so that the dispensing container 108 can betransported. In operation, a user can apply the hair care formulationwith their fingers, such as in the case of a hair serum.

In some embodiments, such as in FIGS. 1B-1C, the dispensing container108 is a flexible tube. In some embodiments, the cap 112 may include anopening 114. In some embodiments, the dispensing container includes alid 113 to secure the dispensed hair care formula. In some embodiments,the cap includes a plurality of openings 115, as shown in FIG. 1C. Insome embodiments, the openings 115 may be brush-like openings that canbe brushed through a user's hair. In operation, a user can dispense haircare material into dispensing container 108 and squeeze the dispensingcontainer 108 to extrude hair care formula through the opening 114 orthe plurality of openings 115.

In some embodiments, such as FIG. 1D, the dispensing container 108 is arectangular prism. In some embodiments, the rectangular prism is rigid.In some embodiments, the dispensing container 108 has a hinged lid 113.In some embodiments, there is a mirror 116 disposed inside the lid 113.In operation, a user can take the dispensing container 108 with them anduse the mirror 116 to ensure they are applying hair care material totheir desired portion of hair.

FIG. 2 is an example cartridge, in accordance with the presenttechnology. The cartridge 130 has a round, cylindrical body and a nozzle160 at a first end, and a circumferential groove 270 at the second end.The nozzle 160 is further disposed near a cartridge key 132. Thecartridge 130 contains and dispenses an amount of hair care materialinto the dispensing container 108 as needed. In some embodiments, thecartridge 130 dispenses hair care material by rotation of a cartridgegear while the cartridge 130 remains in place substantially verticallyalong the Y-axis. The circumferential groove 270 is used to secure thecartridge 130 inside the dispenser.

An amount of hair care material is released from the cartridge 130through the nozzle 160 by a first rotational motion of the first endwith respect to the second end of the cartridge 130. Rotational motionof the first end of the cartridge 130 in a second direction, opposite ofthe first rotational motion, may close the nozzle 160 of the cartridge130.

FIG. 3 is a top-down view of an example base of a dispenser device, inaccordance with the present technology. The base 102 may be connected tothe body 106 of the dispensing device 100 in a manner that allows it tobe rotated open to expose a plurality of cartridge openings 140. In someembodiments, the base 102 is removed completely to access the cartridgeopenings 140. In some embodiments, the base 102 is attached to the body106 with a hinge, screw, magnet, or other mechanism for attachment. Asillustrated, one or more cartridges 130 can be inserted into theplurality of cartridge holes 140. Though three cartridge holes 140 areillustrated in FIG. 3 , any number of cartridge holes 140 can be in thebody 106 of the dispensing device 100.

A nozzle 160 of each cartridge 130 is disposed inside one of thecartridge holes 140. Various additional substructures and covers may bedisposed between the internal components of the hair care dispenser 100and the dispenser body 106.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an example dispensing container 108 inaccordance with the present technology. The dispensing container 108 mayinclude a lid 113, a dispensing container base 182, and a bottom cover184. The lid 113 is disposed above the dispensing container base 182,which is disposed above or within the bottom cover 184. The lid 113 maybe secured to the dispensing container base 182 by magnets. Thedispensing container base 182 includes a plurality of dispensingcontainer through holes 138. In this example, there is one dispensingcontainer through hole 138 for each cartridge 130 in the dispensingdevice 100. The bottom cover 184, having a plurality of bottom coverthrough holes 136, is disposed underneath the dispensing container base182. In this example there is one bottom cover through hole 136 for eachcartridge 114 in the hair care dispenser 100, and the bottom cover 184is disposed such that each bottom cover through hole 136 corresponds toand is connected to a dispensing container base through hole 138 of thedispensing container base 182.

The dispensing container 108 is connected to the manifold 130, themanifold 180 connected to and disposed above a gear-housing in thedispenser 100, further disposed within the dispenser body 106 of thehair care dispenser 100, and the dispensing container 108 is disposedabove both the manifold 180 and the dispenser body 106. The manifold 180includes one manifold through hole 135 for each cartridge 130 in thehair care dispenser 100, and the manifold 180 is disposed such that eachmanifold through hole 135 corresponds to and is connected to adispensing container base through hole 136 of the bottom cover 184.Further, each manifold through hole 135 of the manifold 180 correspondsto and is disposed above a gear-housing cartridge hole of thegear-housing, providing a passage by which hair care material can bedispensed from the nozzle 160 of each cartridge 130 through the manifold180, the bottom cover 184, and into the dispensing container base 182.

The dispensing container 108 may have a form such that there is only oneorientation by which the dispensing container 108 can connect to thehair care dispenser 100. In another example, it may be that the form ofthe dispensing container 108 can connect to the dispensing container 108in more than one orientation.

Further, hair care material dispensed into the dispensing container 108may be prevented from flowing back out by use of a one-way duckbillvalve (not shown) disposed within each of the dispensing container basethrough holes 136 in the bottom lid 184 of the dispensing container 108.

FIGS. 5A-5C are top-down views of an example dispensing containers 108in accordance with the present technology. In some embodiments, thedispensing container 108 includes a plurality of compartments 300. Insome embodiments, the compartments 300 are distinct from one another toallow a user to determine which product is which. Examples of suchdistinction include, but are not limited to, the shape of thecompartments 300, the color of the compartments 300, and the size ordepth of the compartments 300. In some embodiments, the compartments maybe labeled, such as with the type of product in each compartment 300,i.e. “shampoo”, “conditioner”, “detangler”, etc.

While FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate example layouts of compartments 300, thecompartments 300 can take any number of forms. While all thecompartments 300 illustrated are geometric shapes, the compartments 300can take any shape, including a curved or organic shape. Additionally,while example configurations of dispensing container base through holes138 are illustrated, there may be any number of dispensing containerbase through holes 138 in any configuration, for example four dispensingcontainer base through holes 138 arranged as four corners in a squareshape.

FIG. 5A is a top-down view of an example dispensing container 108 withtwo compartments 300 a, 300 b. In some embodiments, the compartments 300a, 300 b are equal in size. In some embodiments the compartments 300 a,300 b are configured to accept only a single cartridge's 130 hair careformula though a single dispensing container base through hole 138.

FIG. 5B is a top-down view of another example dispensing container withthree compartments 300 a, 300 b, 300 c. In some embodiments, thecompartments 300 a, 300 b, 300 c may be shaped distinctly from oneanother. In some embodiments, the compartments 300 a, 300 b, 300 c aredifferent sizes from one another. In some embodiments, the distinctionin size of compartments 300 a, 300 b, 300 c is directly related to thetype of product being dispensed. For example, a user would only need asmall amount of root touch up formulation but would need a larger amountof shampoo and conditioner. In such a case, the compartment forreceiving root touch up formulation would be smaller to accommodate asmaller dose, while the compartments for shampoo and conditioner wouldbe larger.

FIG. 5C is a top-down view of another example dispensing container withtwo compartments 300 a, 300 b. In some embodiments, more than onedispensing container base through holes 138 dispenses into a singlecompartment 300, so that hair care material from two or more cartridgescan be mixed inside a single compartment 300 (such as compartment 300b). For example, when dispensing a shampoo, the user may desire theshampoo to have an added active ingredient, such as argon oil. In thiscase, the dispenser 100 could dispense a shampoo formulation and thehyaluronic acid into a single compartment, such as 300 a, and allow theuser to mix the two before use.

In operation, a user can remove the dispensing container 108 from thedispensing device 100 after the hair care material is dispensed. Theuser can then open the dispensing container 108 and view thecompartments 300 a, 300 b, . . . 300 n, selecting the hair care formulathey wish to apply. In some embodiments, the compartments are configuredto line up with an extruder or extruders of a distributor (as explainedin FIGS. 7A-7B).

FIGS. 6A-6C are examples of hair care dispensing systems in accordancewith the present technology. In some embodiments, the hair caredispensing system also includes an applicator 120. In some embodiments,the applicator 120 is attached to the dispensing device 100 itself, asshown in FIG. 6A. In some embodiments, the applicator 120 is a brushattachment. In some embodiments, the applicator 120 is attached to thedispensing device 100 with a magnet. In operation, a user can remove theapplicator and take it with them to apply the dispensed hair careformula in another location.

In some embodiments, such as illustrated in FIG. 6B, the applicator 120is part of the dispensing container 108. In some embodiments, thedispensing container 108 includes an applicator acceptor 220. In someembodiments, the applicator acceptor 220 is a hole. In some embodiments,the applicator acceptor 220 is a threaded hole. In some embodiments, theapplicator acceptor 220 is a groove, a snap, a magnet, or any otherattachment mechanism. While the applicator acceptor 220 is illustratedon the side of the dispensing container 108, the applicator 220 acceptormay be on the top of the dispensing container 108 or even disposedinside the lid 113 of the dispensing container 108.

In some embodiments, the applicator 120 is a wand with bristles, such asa mascara-type applicator. In operation, the mascara-type applicator maybe used to brush a portion of the user's hair with hair care material,such as for securing fly-away or baby hairs, touching up roots of dyedhair, or spot applying a hair care formula to a target area. The usercan then return the applicator 120 into the applicator acceptor 220 onthe dispensing container 108 to secure the hair care formula for afuture use. In some embodiments, the applicator is a brush, a scoop, orother means of applying product to hair. FIG. 6C shows how theapplicator 120 may fit into the dispensing container 108 when it is notin use.

FIG. 7A is an overall perspective view of an example distributor 250 inaccordance with the present technology. The distributor 250 may be abottle, such as a shampoo or conditioner bottle, but may take any othernumber of forms, such as a squeeze tube. In some embodiments, thedistributor includes an extruder 255. The extruder 255 may be amechanical pump (such as illustrated in FIG. 7A), a solenoid pump, anopening, a sprayer, or any other means of extruding a hair careformulation. The distributor 250 may also include an attachment 260. Insome embodiments, the attachment 260 is a magnet or a suction cup.

The distributor 250 includes a cavity 265 that can accept a dispensingcontainer 108. While the cavity 265 is illustrated as a cylindricalcavity, it may take any form capable of accepting the dispensingcontainer 108, such as a rectangular prism. In some embodiments, thedispensing container 108 is slid into the cavity 265. In someembodiments, the cavity 265 has a cover (not pictured in FIG. 7B) tofurther secure the dispensing container 108 into the cavity 265 of thedistributor 250.

FIG. 7B is an internal view of an example distributor 250, in accordancewith the present technology. As described above, a dispensing container108 may contain an opening 114 (as illustrated in FIG. 1B), or aplurality of openings 115 (as illustrated in FIG. 1C). In someembodiments, the opening 114 is on the top of the dispensing container108, but it may be on any side of a dispensing container 108. In someembodiments, the opening 114 or the plurality of openings 115 may beconfigured to accept one or more extruder 255. In some embodiments, theplurality of openings 115 line up with the compartments 300 in thedispensing container 108, so that in operation, the extruders 225 lineup with the compartments 300 in the dispensing container 108 and eachextrude a different hair care material.

As illustrated in FIG. 7B, a dispensing container 108 with an opening114, may be placed inside the cavity 265 of the distributor 250. Theopening 114 of the dispensing container 108 lines up with the extruder255 so that the extruder 255 can extrude one or more hair care formulasfrom the dispensing container 108. In some embodiments, there may bemore than one extruder 255, for example, two or more mechanical pumps,for extruding two or more hair care formulas.

In operation, a user can use the attachment 260 to secure thedistributor to a location, such as a wall, mirror, or shower/tub. Theuser can then extrude the hair care material at this desired location.For example, a user may dispense a shampoo formulation into thedispensing container 108. The user may then secure the dispensingcontainer 108 into the cavity 265 of a distributor 250 so that anopening 115 in the dispensing container 108 lines up with an extruder255 (such as a mechanical pump) in the distributor 250. The user canthen attach the distributor 250 to the wall of their shower with theattachment 260 and use the extruder 255 to extrude the shampoo from thedispensing container 108 into their hand or onto their hair.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. A system for dispensinghair care, the system comprising: a dispensing device; at least onecartridge containing a hair care material configured to fit inside thedispensing device; and a dispensing container removably attached to thedispensing device wherein the dispensing container is configured toaccept a portioned amount of the hair care material from the at leastone cartridge.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispensingcontainer further comprises a cap.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein thedispensing container is a flexible tube.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein the dispensing container is a rectangular prism.
 5. The systemof claim 1, wherein the dispensing container further comprises anopening.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the dispensing containerfurther comprises a plurality of openings.
 7. The system of claim 6,wherein the plurality of openings are brush-like openings configured tobe brushed through hair while extruding the hair care material.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the dispensing container further comprises alid.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the dispensing container furthercomprises a mirror disposed inside the lid.
 10. The system of claim 1,wherein the dispensing container further comprises an applicator. 11.The system of claim 10, wherein the dispensing container furthercomprises an applicator acceptor configured to hold the applicator. 12.The system of claim 10, wherein the applicator is a brush.
 13. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the applicator is a wand with bristles. 14.The system of claim 1, wherein the dispensing container furthercomprises two or more compartments for receiving the hair care material.15. The system of claim 14, wherein the dispensing container isconfigured to accept a first portioned amount of a first hair carematerial from a first cartridge in a first compartment and a secondportioned amount of a second hair care material, different from thefirst hair care material, from a second cartridge into a secondcompartment.
 16. The system of claim 14, wherein the two or morecompartments are configured to accept the hair care material from two ormore cartridges so that the two or more hair care materials mix in asingle compartment.
 17. The system of claim 14, wherein the two or morecompartments are shaped distinctly from one another.
 18. The system ofclaim 14, wherein the two or more compartments are colored distinctlyfrom one another.
 19. The system of claim 1, wherein the system furthercomprises a distributor, wherein the distributor comprises: a cavityconfigured to accept the dispensing container; and an extruderconfigured to extrude the hair care material.
 20. The system of claim19, wherein the distributor is a bottle.